Comments on: Become Comfortable with the Unknown http://gigaom.com/2010/09/02/become-comfortable-with-the-unknown/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:15:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Rachel McRoberts http://gigaom.com/2010/09/02/become-comfortable-with-the-unknown/#comment-268267 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:54:22 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=152733#comment-268267 Since making the leap to full-time freelancing, I have often wanted to run back to something more familiar, something that feels safe. When work is slow, I wonder if my business is ever going to take off. (Of course, other times I am too busy to question it!)

The two things that help me stay strong are having a clear (albeit flexible) plan and recognizing what has worked. I think of the strategic social networking I tried, which led to new business partnerships. I think of the volunteer work I did, which led to recommendations and referrals. Every step of the way I have tried to make strategic choices, although I never knew quite how they would turn out. So when I get nervous, I just try to remember that today’s successes were yesterday’s unknowns!

]]> By: Betsy Talbot http://gigaom.com/2010/09/02/become-comfortable-with-the-unknown/#comment-268211 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:20:02 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=152733#comment-268211 Amber, thanks for sharing our story. One thing I’ve learned is that even when we are in an environment that seems safe and normal, we really don’t know what is going to happen. We get divorced, jobs change, and sometimes Wall Street just collapses and you can’t do anything about your shrinking 401(k).

So being comfortable with the unknown is a good skill to have even if you aren’t planning on selling everything you own to travel the world. We work one step at a time and worry about getting to the next stage instead of what might happen 10 steps down the line. It’s wasted energy because by the time we get there things might be totally different or the solution presented itself at step 6.

We leave in 29 days for our big trip, but I feel like we’ve already been on a journey of self-discovery and pushing boundaries without even leaving home.

]]>